LOS ANGELES – It was over before you knew it, before many in the crowd had a chance to bite into their hot dogs or take a sip from their drinks, before the Clippers could really flex their muscles in front of the Sacramento Kings.

Caron Butler sank a 3-pointer to break an early tie. DeAndre Jordan soared to dunk a missed shot by teammate Chris Paul a moment later, then dunked a lob pass from Blake Griffin and then scored again.

The Clippers were never challenged again and took a 116-81 victory from the Kings in front of a sellout crowd of 19,060 at Staples Center. After breaking a 6-6 tie on Butler’s 3, the Clippers were untouchable.

Playing with an unmistakable sense of purpose, the Clippers did what good teams are supposed to do when they play poor ones. They exploited the Kings’ weaknesses and took away their will to fight by building a big lead and holding it.

The Clippers led 30-17 after the first quarter, then 58-34 at halftime before they really warmed to the task. They led by as many as 34 points in the third quarter and held an 87-58 advantage going into the fourth.

It was simply exercise by then, which was fine with the Clippers (10-6). Their second unit got to play extended minutes and their starters got a chance to rest and cheer their teammates. No one in a Clippers uniform was overworked.

Clippers fans, having grown bored with the game, entertained themselves by performing a fourth-quarter wave before heading for the exits. The Clippers led by 101-70 when many in the crowd departed with 5:37 remaining.

Marcus Thornton scored 20 points for the Kings, who fell to 4-12 overall and 0-6 on the road. Jason Thompson added 16 points and 12 rebounds. Thornton and Thompson were the only Kings to score in double figures, however.

The Clippers shot 54.7 percent and limited the Kings to 38.2 percent shooting.

The appearance of the Kings might have signaled an easy night for the Clippers under normal circumstances. But given the Clippers’ track record this season against teams with sub-.500 records, nothing was for certain.

“There are no easy games,” coach Vinny Del Negro insisted beforehand, referring to the Clippers’ lackluster losses earlier this season to the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors without mentioning either team.

Then the Clippers did all the right things to ensure they could have an easy night. They took the game to the Kings from the opening tip and led by as many as 25 points in the second quarter, playing with equal gusto with and without the ball.

Sacramento seemed befuddled at both ends of the court as the Clippers overwhelmed it with their depth, skill and a sound game plan. Mostly, the Clippers put their heads down and took the ball to the hoop.

Lob City was open for business with the Clippers scoring 32 of their first 58 points in the paint. There was one significant mishap when Griffin attempted to throw down a lob for a wicked dunk but ended up tossing the ball into the Clippers bench.

Griffin was fouled on his misfire, which figured to be a staple on the late-night blooper reels. He made up for it by sinking the ensuing free throws, helping to propel the Clippers to a commanding 58-34 lead by halftime.

The Clippers didn’t ease up on the gas pedal in the opening minutes of the third quarter, extending their lead to 68-40 after Butler swished a 3-pointer from the wing with 8:29 remaining in the period.

The Kings, who played and lost 97-92 to the Indiana Pacers on Friday in Sacramento, offered only token resistance against the Clippers’ onslaught. They seemed to be going through the motions, unable or unwilling to stop the beating.

Elliott Teaford covers the Clippers and the NBA for the Southern California News Group. He has written about hockey for the past five years and is looking forward to thawing out after so many days and nights sitting in frozen rinks. He also covered the Lakers for five seasons, including their back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and '10. He once made a jump shot over future Utah Jazz center Mark Eaton during a pickup game in 1980 at Cypress College.

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